#Malaysia, truly Asia! 🇲🇾🌺
Here are some impressions from my visit last week:
1. #SoutheastAsia’s sixth-largest economy is heaving. From semiconductors and tourism (up 33% in Q1/24!), to the stock exchange and foreign direct investment, Malaysia is punching above its weight.
2. Although there is more buzz in Malaysia’s #technology and #VentureCapital sector than there are actual deals at the moment, I am hopeful that we are only at the pointy end of what will likely be an inflection point in the country’s tech industry.
3. Malaysians are some of the warmest, most hospitable people I have come across. I am overwhelmed by how generous my Malaysian friends have been with their time, their ideas, and most of all, their food! I haven’t been hungry since I got off the plane.
4. Having said that, the age-old ‘debate’ as to whether Malaysia’s hawker food is better than #Singapore’s is getting pretty stale. For what it’s worth, I think that Klang bak kut teh, KL Hokkien mee, and Ipoh hor fun are superior to their Singapore versions; and prefer the chicken rice, fishball noodles, and laksa lemak on this side of the causeway. But Nusantaran culinary traditions pre-date the modern states of Singapore and Malaysia, so please can we stop fighting already? Food should bring people together, and not tear us apart.
5. There is, however, a clear winner when it comes to nasi lemak. Village Park Nasi Lemak is, hands down, the best nasi lemak in KL, and I know a roomful of lawyers who will fight anyone who even dares suggest that Burung Hantu might be a contender.
6. Traffic lights here aren't so much rules as… suggestions, and only fools and Singaporeans ever wait for the light to change. Instead, do what the locals do and hold out your hand when crossing the road and watch in amazement as traffic stops for you. Most of the time.
7. KLIA is so far from the city that it is either the result of a shady land deal from the 90s, or the most forward-looking urban expansion strategy in human history. Getting from KLIA into the city is an absolute ball-ache and Firefly and Subang Airport are a godsend.
8. Malaysian contemporary art is super under-rated. The country’s rich (and recently tumultuous) history has inspired a strong narrative in its contemporary art which, as I’ve seen across KL and Penang this week, often deals with social, political, and historical themes. Collectors should start paying serious attention to this market.
9. George Town is as charming as I remember it to be (but still very much a three-shirt-a-day kind of town). It is my dream to own a holiday home here someday.
What else would you add?
Photo of me in George Town, copyright mine. The couplet on the door are an abbreviation of “福如东海，寿比南山” (lit. wealth as abundant as the East Sea and longevity comparable to that of Mount Zhongnan).
